The present disclosure relates generally to advertising systems, and more specifically pertains to gathering or updating customer profile preferences by presenting a plethora of coupon selection choices and then using the gathered profiles to enable targeted, relevant, and/or personalized advertising.
Retailers have developed customer loyalty programs that allow customer profiles to be created for repeat customers. Customer profiles can include a wealth of information about the customer, including demographics, income levels, spending patterns, and purchasing preferences. Customer profiles are increasingly being recognized as key assets for retailers, as they are key elements in constructing targeted advertising campaigns and other forms of customer engagements, and also affect store merchandising plans and operations. Many retailers also offer coupons to customers. Although traditional coupon systems are considered effective in generating customer loyalty for the coupon clippers, they are largely underutilized as an information source for improving customer profiles. Improved customer profiles can lead to improved targeted advertising, yielding a more effective marketing tool, improving the ability to reach the right customers in a manner that they are willing to receive. Many prospective customers block unsolicited email and summarily discard what they consider to be junk mail. Retailers are therefore searching for ways to improve customer loyalty and targeting advertising programs though improved customer profiles.